1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates in general to fasteners, and more particularly, to a fastener for a connector in an electrical coupling. The fastener of the present disclosure is well suited for an application wherein electrical conductivity is of importance along with a relatively high application of torque thereon.
2. Background Art
The use of threaded fasteners for connecting electrical couplings is known in the art. In many instances, it is necessary to attach, for example, splices, supports or other structures onto a conductor. Such conductors include, but are not limited to conductors for electrical transmission and distribution lines.
In many configurations, the use of a threaded fastener acting in compression is employed. Such threaded fasteners are commonly known as setscrews. In many configurations which utilize setscrews, only a portion of the outer strands of a conductor contact the connector structure. A typical set screw contacts a portion of the remainder of the outer strands.
Furthermore, it has been known that certain set screws tend to loosen over time, particularly when employed in electrical connectors. This is due to the thermal cycling nature of electrical loads, resulting in thermal expansion and contraction respectively. To address this, it has been known that the use of a biasing member, employed to maintain the mechanical force applied at the electrical interface between the conductor and the connector, will offset the action of the thermal expansion and contraction. This gives rise to a problem with the setscrew type connector, suitable materials incorporated as the biasing member exhibit a comparatively high electrical resistance. This interferes with the current path through the setscrew itself that could otherwise be relied upon to carry its share of the electrical current from the strands not in direct contact with the connector body.
It is an object of the present disclosure to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art.